Benefits of habit “Meeting new people”
✓ Enhances your communication skills
✓ Gives opportunity to learn something new
✓ Helps with overcoming social anxiety
✓ Helps in acquiring new friends
✓ Widens your connections and increases chances of new opportunities
First step:
Find 1 new person to meet this week
Progress:
1. Find 1 new person to meet the first week.
2. Then, the second week, find 2 new people.
3. Continue until you feel happy with your new encounters.
Helpful tips to make it a habit:
✓ Set a same time schedule. Yes, even such supposedly spontaneous thing as meeting new people can become a habit. Dedicate time in a week that is always going to be reserved for this activity and make sure you remember about it. It can be evening after work or school.
✓ Trigger your memory. Putting notes “I will meet someone new today” everywhere you can see them can seriously help you remember your habit goal.
✓ Let the app help. You can use the reminder feature in this app to remind you it’s time for a meeting.
✓ Make it a challenge. Use the app to openly challenge your friends to develop same habit OR make your own goal public with consequences in case of failure. Make up your own consequences, something that you wouldn’t want to do no matter what.
✓ Reward yourself. In short term, after every time you consciously chose this habit, pat yourself on the back and tell yourself how awesome you just did. In long term, if you spent enough time meeting new people, reward yourself by staying in and having a day for yourself. It will feel great, because you’re doing good!
Tips for beginners:
✓ Find a routine. Think of your daily routine and chose a habit you already have that meeting new people can follow naturally. For example, keep your gratitude notebook on your bed stand and fill it up for the day as soon so you change and get into bed. It would help more if it was always at the same time of night.
✓ Feeling slightly stuck in just one circle and conversations tend to revolve around the same things? Or you just no longer feel like you belong? Perhaps you moved to a new place? It’s time to meet new people. Even this at times stressful activity can be boiled down to a constructive habit. Just don’t start feeling guilty. Changing your habits must never feel that way.
✓ Employ the internet. If you’re very busy, you can use the power of portable internet to your advantage. Chat rooms, community forums and such will no doubt help you meet new people, even if it’s virtual.
✓ Don’t be afraid to try. Depending on your schedule and levels of social anxiety, it can be hard to introduce yourself to new people. Don’t be afraid to use apps like Tinder, even if you’re not looking for a significant other. Choose an activity you always wanted to learn, like dance classes, board games or football – all activities that require you to interact with people. This way, you’re guaranteed to meet someone new AND you will have common interest.